purse
[ purs ]
/ pɜrs /
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noun
verb (used with object), pursed, purs·ing.
to contract into folds or wrinkles; pucker: to purse one's lips.
to put into a purse.
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Origin of purse
First recorded before 1100; (noun) Middle English, Old English purs, blend of pusa “bag” (cognate with Old Norse posi ) and Medieval Latin bursa “bag” (ultimately from Greek býrsa “hide, leather”); (verb) Middle English pursen “to put in a purse,” derivative of the noun
OTHER WORDS FROM purse
purse·less, adjectivepurse·like, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH purse
briefcase, handbag, pocketbook, purse , valise, walletDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use purse in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for purse
purse
/ (pɜːs) /
noun
a small bag or pouch, often made of soft leather, for carrying money, esp coins
US and Canadian a woman's handbag
anything resembling a small bag or pouch in form or function
wealth; funds
a sum of money that is offered, esp as a prize
verb
(tr) to contract (the mouth, lips, etc) into a small rounded shape
Word Origin for purse
Old English purs, probably from Late Latin bursa bag, ultimately from Greek: leather
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with purse
purse
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.